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"It has become a place of salvation for British youth", "The Face": How did Albania become the main tourist destination of 2023?

2023-07-10 20:48:14Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

 

"It has become a place of salvation for British youth", "The
How did Albania become the main tourist destination of 2023?

 

Despite the xenophobic attacks of Great Britain's conservatives against Albanian immigrants, Albania has become a place of salvation for young British people, offering festivals such as "Kala" and ION, cheap accommodation and wonderful beaches, writes "The Face".

The more you refer to a destination as a completely different place, the more it will become a tourist hotspot. The case in question? Recently, Albania has been referred to as the New Croatia, the Maldives of Europe, the Caribbean of Europe, the future Greece, which is enjoying a large increase in the number of tourists.

Even if you haven't been to Albania recently, you've probably seen the footage online. For us surfers, "Land of Eagles" has been all over the web lately. Everyone, it seems, has sunbathed on its sandy beaches, dived in its uncharted waters and danced at its festivals.

From 2010 to 2019, the number of tourists going to Albania each year tripled to 3.3 million, with 120,000 of the international visitors coming from Great Britain. However, the country is soon expected to be visited by millions of British tourists.

It wasn't always like that. For decades, Albania banned entries. The most isolated country in Eastern Europe, the Balkan nation didn't open its doors until the late 1980s, existing as a communist state closed to the rest of the world.

When its Stalinist leader Enver Hoxha died in 1985, tourists began to flock to the country, but not at a rapid pace, until 1989 when only 10,000 people across the globe visited Albania each year.

Arrivals began to increase in the late 90s, when the European tourism industry began to discover Albania's potential to compete in the Mediterranean.

Although the country still faced power outages, drinking water and sewage problems, in 2003 the Ministry of Tourism decided to demolish the buildings to beautify the beaches and rename the nation. Seven years later, Albania was the best country to visit according to "Lonely Planet".

"It has become a place of salvation for British youth", "The

In 2017, there was only one British Airways flight from London Gatwick Airport to Tirana. Now, there are over ten lines, the cheapest being WizzAir, which takes you three hours for just £27.

"There has been a significant increase in the number of passengers who choose Albania as their vacation destination," said Zsuzsa Trubek, Communications Manager of Wizz Air Corporation, for "The Face".

"The number of passengers has increased by 27% in the first half of the year in 2023, compared to the same period in 2022. To meet the demand, the capacity has been increased to carry out 19 flights per week," she said.

Albania is still a relatively alternative destination. Currently, there are fewer than 20 flights a week, and the number of Britons going to Greece each year is almost 40 times higher. But it is expected that the number of tourists to Albania will continue to grow, a steely belief that has led to investments from around the world and the construction of a $125 million airport in Vlora, which is under construction until its completion in April 2024.

Also, considering that almost no one outside Albania knew about the country until 20 or so years ago, its development is amazing.

"While Amsterdam is driving away all the Brits, the Italians are getting more and more tired and Lanzarote is suffering our bad behaviour, Albania is welcoming us with open arms, promising a complete, all-inclusive package, sun, beaches and nice holidays. and a pint of good beer for 200 lek (only £1.50),” she said.

"It has become a place of salvation for British youth", "The

Many people are mainly attracted to festivals. "Kala", a festival launched in 2018 by "Mainstage Festivals" and located on the Albanian Riviera, has quickly won the hearts of visitors.

"We can't take full credit for the wider increase in tourism, I think our music festivals have helped put Albania on the map for a lot of young people who hadn't heard of it before," said Juan J Lopez, director of Marketing at "Mainstage".

"The environment in Dhërmi is perfect, because most of the hotels are not far from the scene. The big bonus? The price of a camping festival where you can spend a full week in a hotel in Albania, which means no sleepless nights in tents," said Lopez.

Antonia and Georgie, both 28, went to "Kala" last month.

"Dhermi was the place where we were going. Even local Albanians used to go there for their vacations, it was a really exciting place," said Georgie. ​

"It was one of the first festivals we've been to, everyone was there just for the music and the good vibe, everyone had good energy and it was nice to be in a hotel and not a tent," added Antonia.

"And of course there were landscapes, mountains, beautiful beaches, the canyon in Gjipe, an ecstasy for your eyes," she said.

This picturesque landscape is perfect for beautiful postcard-like posts on Instagram. For those who don't mind the holidays, it's the sights that drive them to visit, especially since they're relatively affordable.

​"When it comes to travel, there are few mysteries left in Europe. Albania is the last European country that has not turned into a sustainable destination for beach vacations and is plagued by mass tourism," said Lopez.

"Albania offers stunning Mediterranean scenery, gorgeous turquoise waters, pristine beaches, great food and very affordable prices," he added.

Bardha Krasniqi, a photographer of Albanian origin who moved to Great Britain when she was still a child, regularly returns to Albania.

"I went in June and noticed that there were more tourists than usual," she said. ​

"People really want to see and explore something different. Albania is in the south of Europe, so it is like another Greece. It's something new and people didn't know it existed. There are so many varieties of nature, it's crazy", said Krasniqi.

"It has become a place of salvation for British youth", "The

This idyllic vision has spread thanks to social networks. After all, most of us now follow Thomas Cook on TikTok for travel tips, through an ever-updating catalog of the world's most beautiful destinations. Albania went viral last summer, especially the beach resort of Ksamil, whose brilliance is not fading.

"August will be crazy and this is because of TikTok, last year everyone was reposting their locations," said Krasniqi.

"Even this year, friends have sent me messages like: "I didn't know that Albania looked like this", because the south is very beautiful", she added.

"When I first went to the south of Albania last month, I met two British girls and asked them how they discovered the country. They said from TikTok, it is clear that TikTok is promoting Albania everywhere," she said.

There is also the "Dua Lipa" effect. Alongside well-known figures such as Rita Ora and Bebe Rexha, Dua, born in Albania, has become a girl who promotes the country through posts. At the end of last year, she became an honorary citizen and even ended her world tour "Future Nostalgia" in Tirana.

Becky and Elena, both 24, visited Albania last week.

"We didn't do any research and ended up in a village, an hour away from Tirana. We saw the less touristy side," said Becky. ​

“Rreth orës 1 të mëngjesit, gjithçka ishte ndryshe. Përpara nesh u shfaqën vajza me bikini duke kërcyer në ballkone, njerëz që zhyteshin në pishinë dhe gjithçka ishte e ndezur njësoj si “My Super Sweet Sixteen”. Ne përfunduam në ato që vendasit i quajnë ​“vilat e festave” që merren me qira për një natë, të klasifikuara si shumë të zhurmshme nga policia e Tiranës”, shtoi ajo.

Personat e përfshirë në industri janë të prirur të theksojnë rolin e madh që luan turizmi në ekonominë lokale. “Kala”, për shembull, punon me 250 biznese lokale, krijon 200 vende pune çdo vit dhe ka ndihmuar në dyfishimin e sezonit turistik. Dhe organizatorët përpiqen të sigurohen që vendasve të mos u mungojë argëtimi. ​

“Çdo vit ne rezervojmë një pjesë të biletave për banorët e Shqipërisë, Kosovës dhe Maqedonisë së Veriut, të cilët mund t’i blejnë ato me një çmim të reduktuar”, tha Lopez.

"It has become a place of salvation for British youth", "The

Shqiptarët po përballen me probleme të migracionit. Qasja nënçmuese e Partisë Konservatore ndaj migrantëve shqiptarë, e nxitur nga politikat e Suella Braverman, ka nxitur forma të reja të ksenofobisë. Çështja është komplekse, është e vërtetë që mafia shqiptare ka një rol kyç në tregun e drogës në Britaninë e Madhe, por shumë nga ata që mbërrijnë në BM trafikohen dhe detyrohen të punojnë për këto banda, dhe nuk është një zgjedhje e tyre.

Siç ka theksuar më parë David Neale, një ekspert i migracionit shqiptar, Shqipëria nuk është domosdoshmërisht një vend i sigurt. ​

“Një shkak i zakonshëm i arratisjes së shqiptarëve nga vendi i tyre është gjakmarrja”, shkroi Naele në “The Guardian”, duke shpjeguar se shumë prej tyre përballen me kërcënimin e sulmeve hakmarrëse nga familje të tjera, që zgjasin me breza.

Ky kontrast midis turizmit dhe torizmit është i vështirë. Ndërsa shumë prej nesh e kalojnë kohën me pushime në Shqipëri, shumë nga vendasit e saj po kalojnë një kohë të vështirë në shtëpi dhe po përballen me qëndrime ksenofobike, përkatësisht, nga Britania e Madhe.

​“Fatkeqësisht, shumica e njerëzve nuk dinë shumë për Shqipërinë dhe mbështeten thjesht në stereotipe negative”, tha Lopez. ​

“Megjithatë, kjo është në avantazhin tonë, pasi aventurierët kur vijnë në Shqipëri habiten shumë kur zbulojnë se të gjitha këto paragjykime jane larg realitetit”, tha ai.

Becky dhe Elena e përjetuan këtë nga afër.

​”Të gjithë shqiptarët që na priten ishin të këndshëm me turistët”, tha Becky.

Një punishte vere u ofroi ushqim falas, një vendas i ftoi për raki, një tjetër u ofroi atyre një udhëtim me varkë dhe një taksist madje ndaloi për t’u blerë bakllava.

​”Ne e vizituam vendin me shumë paragjykime, pasi familja dhe miqtë tanë ishin të pasigurt, por ishte vërtet argëtuese. Njerëzit ishin vërtet të sjellshëm”, thanë Antonia dhe Georgie.

Një banakier vrapoi për të gjetur vodka për ta, ndërsa një pronar gazetash u dha atyre një kovë akulli pasi mendonte se birrat që shiste nuk ishin mjaftueshëm të ftohta.

Për Krasniqin, pushuesit e verës 2023 do të thyejnë industrinë e turizmit të Shqipërisë.

​"This year will define how people treat and respect it," she said, adding that the country could turn into another Ibiza, with the hope that visitors will be positively affected. Like any developing country, there is a risk of a tourism collapse, counting down to cultural erosion. Likewise, if tourism revenue flows into the local economy, this can lead to a positive outcome for all.

Either way, it's clear that "Albania" will continue to spread across the UK, as additional infrastructure and a new wave of events sweeten the already tempting deal.

Soon, the country will no longer be referred to as the New Croatia, the Maldives of Europe, the Caribbean of Europe, the future Greece, but simply Albania.

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